Come spend a week with me in Cape Verde

I recently got back from a week long holiday in Boa Vista, Cape Verde. The hotel I stayed at was the RIU Palace Hotel and I visited during the middle of May 2023.

Here's a round up of everything I did in a week...

Day 1

I flew out early hours Sunday morning and arrived in Cape Verde at 11am. I was then taken to the hotel, which was a 10 minute drive away. As soon as I stepped off the bus our luggage was taken away by a porter waiting outside. Inside I was greeted with a welcome glass of prosecco and taken to reception where check in was quick and easy.

The hotel itself was spotless, beautifully decorated and so big that I was given a map of the grounds when we arrived! Our rooms were clean and spacious. The bathroom had double sinks, a large walk in shower and the bedroom contained a large double bed, a sofa and flat screen tv. The view form the balcony was good and there was a small table and two chairs outside. There was also a mini bar in my room that was filled with a range of drinks, alcoholic and non-alcoholic, that was free of charge.

After settling in I spent the first day exploring the grounds and getting to know our home for the week. There were three pools, two which included a swim up bar, the main buffet restaurant, three speciality restaurants, a 24 hour sports bar and an entertainment lounge. There was also a private beach area that was connected to the hotel and a small waterpark that was shared with the neighbouring hotel.

I spent the day relaxing by the pool and sampling the cocktails they had on offer, before heading to the main buffet restaurant in the evening and watching the nights entertainment, which was a 45 minute dance performance by the entertainment team, followed by some live music.

Exploring the hotel grounds

Day 2

After waking up I took a stroll around the grounds and down to the beach (something that I ended up doing every morning) before heading to breakfast. I spent the rest of the morning on the beach, reading and paddling in the sea, as the waves are often too dangerous for you to go in due to the winds the island has. The breeze itself was pleasant and made the heat feel less noticeable.

I then headed to lunch before spending the afternoon in and out of the pool. In the evening I headed to the sports bar to watch the Liverpool v Leicester football match before heading to dinner. I then went into the entertainment lounge for the nights activities before heading back to the room later on that evening.

Mornings spent on the beach

Day 3

Today after I took my morning walk and after breakfast I went to one of the other pool areas, which contained underwater sunbeds. I stayed around here for the morning and then headed to the little shop they have an the grounds to pick up a couple of souvenirs.

After lunch I had booked to go on a quad bike ride through the desert with a stop off in the middle to Santa Maria beach to visit the ship wreck. The journey took me through the the village of Rabil, which was a mixture of brick and shanty housing and showed me a the life of another culture. The quad bike ride itself was fun and the ship wreck was interesting to see up close in person.

After getting back from the quad bike ride I headed straight back to the room to shower as I was covered in sand, and then sat on the balcony for a while taking in the view.

In the evening I headed to one of the lounges for a pre-dinner cocktail whilst listening to a live saxophone player. Afterwards, I went to the main entertainment lounge where tonight's show involved a live band which was followed by karaoke.

Visiting the ship wreck

Day 4

On Wednesday morning I headed down to breakfast early as I had a sightseeing tour of their main village, Sal Rei, booked for first thing.

The tour took us through the roads of the Island and through the different parts of the village, where you could see the school, the housing, shops of the locals. The first stop of the tour was to Fatima's Chapel, which was small, beautiful building in a lovely location just off the side of a beach. After that we were taken into the village of Sal Rei and taken around two different sea museums that contained lots of artefacts that had been pulled from the ocean. The tour then took us to a local bar/restaurant where we could try the local food and drink. The local drink is their version of rum and is called grogue. It's over 50% alcohol and has the nickname 'firewater'. I of course had to try it, and the only way to describe it is that it's like paint stripper and the burning hits you after a couple of minutes (do not recommend! haha). We were then given time to look round the small indoor market, where I picked up some more souvenirs, before a quick drink before heading back to the hotel.

Once back at the hotel, I spent the afternoon reading my book by the pool and got speaking to this lovely couple who were from back home. I then went to the lounge for another pre-dinner cocktail whilst listening to a live piano player.

I then watched the nights entertainment and this time I was taken up to the dancefloor by one of the entertainment reps for a dance before the main show began!

Inside Fatima’s chapel

Day 5

Today was spent mainly relaxing by one of the pools and making use of the swim up bar. This pool also has daily activities on so it was fun to see everyone getting involved in aquafit, the crazy game (basically dodgeball with water balloons), and a aqua dance session. The two pools with a the swim up bars also have music playing which gives a nice atmosphere. I also got talking to another couple and a group of friends who said that they love this hotel and Island so much that they've already booked to come back. This was a recurring theme I noticed throughout the week, as everyone I spoke to said they regularly come back every year!

After a day by the pool I headed back to the room to get ready for the evening and realised I was VERY burnt! Whoops! Although it is hot there, the breeze makes the temperature feel cooler than what it is and the UV rays are still really high, so definitely make sure you layer on the sunscreen.

A day in the pool

Day 6

With only two full days left I wanted to soak in as much as I could before coming back home. Friday morning was spent relaxing on the beach, where I was joined by one of the dogs that are allowed on the grounds. He came and lay under my sunbed and buried himself in the sand, cute!

After lunch I took a walk along the beach to a nearby beach bar which was in a beautiful, secluded part of the beach and had everything you could possibly need! I had a cocktail while looking out at the view of the sand and sea before heading back to the hotel for the evening.

I headed to dinner earlier this evening as there was a white party being held in the neighbouring hotel that all guests are invited to. I had my face painted with white swirls and glitter before heading over. The party itself was so fun and started off with a live singer before the entertainers spent the night dancing on stage and in the crowd. There was music, drinks, a guy on stilts, bubbles, and giant bouncy balls. Everyone from the entertainers, to the guests and even the cleaners were dancing! It was great way to round off the holiday!

Sharing my sunbed with one of the dogs

Day 7

This was my last full day here and I couldn't have been more sad about it. I spent the morning at the beach and then headed to the little shop just to pick up any last minute souvenirs. After lunch I went and visited the waterpark, which consisted of a few slides and a kids area. After that I went to the pool and got involved with the crazy game, where I got hit in the head plenty of times, but it was still great fun!

Once I was ready for the evening, I took a walk down to the beach to watch the sunset and took one last walk around the grounds before heading to the lounge for my last pre-dinner cocktail while listening to the live saxophone player.

After dinner I headed to the entertainment lounge, where tonight's show was based on Grease before some live music followed.

Watching the sunset on my final night

Day 8

My flight back home was late morning on the Sunday. I finished packing then headed for my final breakfast before checking out. I then was taken to the airport where I waited to board my flight to head home. This wasn't without some last minute panicking though as I did lose my boarding pass before the flight, but luckily someone handed it in just as I was called to board!

The final breakfast before my flight

My week in Cape Verde was everything I could have hoped for and more. The island and hotel itself is so relaxing and peaceful, you can't hear noise form anywhere, not even the other guests. The grounds are kept spotless and the workers are always around making sure everything is okay. The bar and entertainment staff are incredible and couldn't be more helpful! They work so hard to get the guests involve and they come over to speak to you every day/night, remembering each individual. The food and drinks are delicious and there is plenty of choice at each meal and it's very varied so you don't get bored having the same thing each day. The beach is kept clean and there is always plenty of sunbeds available both on the beach and by the pool. I also love the fact that they allow cats and dogs to roam around the hotel grounds as the hotel looks after them and vaccinates them etc.

There is nothing to complain about and I am already looking forward to going back there and think it's somewhere I will be visiting for years to come!